All Hallow's Eve

Pumpkin Time is here.
Buttonwillow is ready for Halloween in her black mask and cape,
dreaming up tricks and hoping for treats.

Her trick is to stare at the ceiling to make you think that something is up there...a nutty squirrel, perhaps? Or maybe a broom-toting Cat Lady cackler with a pointy hat...

And now for the treats. Are they in here?

No? Not to worry. Her new friend Jacko Lantern will help her find those treats. She likes that he has teeth almost as sharp and pointy as hers. And how can you resist those eyes? {{ Mwa-ha-haaaaa }}

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Special Halloween offer for my readers: Receive this mini print of "Garden Fairy No. 4"" FREE with ANY purchase from my Etsy online shop. Enter the code "enchanted" in the "message to seller" box when checking out and receive a 4" x 6" print of this print, suitable for framing. Offer ends October 31 at midnight. Click here to see my entire line of jewelry, art, and handcrafted gifts:

My Etsy Shop

Wendy's 3-D cats

Meet Domino, Dylan, and gentle giant Dante. According to Cat Lady Wendy, her three darling D’s "are larger than life – 3-D to the max! "

watercolor painting copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Wendy shares their story:

"The first 'D' to cross our doorstep was Domino, a little tuxedo ladycat with the feistiest personality I’d ever encountered. Domino had been abandoned by my son’s roommate, so rather than taking her to the shelter, I told my son to bring her to me. She was ridden with fleas and malnourished and at one year of age had already had a litter of her own. I took her to the vet as soon as possible, and she was ‘fixed’ from head to toe.

"Next came Dante, who is a male red classic tabby Maine Coon. My beloved Tommy had just passed away and I wanted another red kitty, so this time I ordered one up from the Lacocoon Cattery in Lacolle, Quebec. Maine Coons are a very gentle breed, and Dante is no different. They are also very large, and Dante lived up to his genetics, reaching a maximum of 21 lbs. of solid muscle and flowing long fur.

"Dylan came our way when my brother’s cat unexpectedly had five kittens. After four months, he hadn’t managed to find homes for any of them, so I took Dylan, who is a male cream tabby, and found a home for one of his sisters right next door. Dylan is very much the pesky little brother.

"And the hierarchy in our home remains in the same order as their arrivals. Domino’s the boss!"

You'll find some adorable photos of Her Highness Princess Domino today on the 3-D Cats Blog: Wendy's 3-D Cats

Enjoy!

Cat Ladies In The News--Pumpkin Madness

There is no denying that Cat Lady Jennifer has a passion for pumpkins. You may remember Pumpkin Pie, her spunky pumpkin-colored kitty who is fascinated with bees:


Jennifer, an extremely talented artist who specializes in horses and Halloween, describes her pumpkin passion: "I love to carve them, photograph them, take wagon rides to pick them and eat yummy pumpkiny treats (yes, I even bought pumpkin pie Pop Tarts). I have tried to grow them but the squirrels nibbled at the squash all summer long. I love pumpkins so much my local newspaper came out to write a story about me:"
A Passion For Pumpkins

Need a little inspiration for your own pumpkin carving this week? Take a look at Jennifer's extraordinary pumpkin carvings at her beautiful blogs:

The Art Of the Pumpkin
Gypsy Mare Studios

Thanks for visiting!

What's Blooming This Week at World Headquarters..Late Bloomer Edition

Last week it was Joe-the-Every-Day-Is-A Holiday cactus (above) who was bustin' out in full bloom. This week, it is Joe Junior (below). He started out life as a mishap when Joe Senior was being moved around and lost a sprig or two...Joe Junior is one of those sprigs. Just look at him now!

And pictured below is my absolute favorite house plant--it is a streptocarpus, a relative of the African Violet and sometimes called a "Cape Primrose". Lucky for me, they seem to thrive on neglect and they have spectacular blooms several times a year. They are a little hard to find, but well worth searching out...I have several different colors from a deep rosy pink to a periwinkle blue.

I'm SO happy to still have some bloomers this far into autumn! Let's hear it for late bloomers!!!

And here are the latest new creations that have just bloomed in my Etsy shop:

Four new catnip toy designs:

The long-awaited Himalayan pendants:

New dangle earrings featuring
a fluffy orange tabby and a Himmy:

And lots of new mini earrings...

Click on any of the product images to be magically transported to my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear any feedback you have in the comments section at the end of this post. Thanks for visiting!

Cat's Cats

It's probably inevitable that if you grow up with a nickname like "Cat", you will some day oversee a small kingdom of kitties.


Meet Cat Lady Catrina, pictured here with (left to right) Sir Benjamin, Molly the Dowager Queen, Prince Casper, and Young Master Archie.

Catrina tells how her kingdom was formed:

"All of my kitties were rescued. I got Molly from the OSPCA when she was about a year old. She had already birthed a litter of kittens (why don’t people spay and neuter?) and was found with them in a box; someone had just thrown her away.

"My friend Pauline told me about Casper (previously named Yeti), a deaf darling who needed a home. He was born under the porch of her neighbour. Pauline had already found homes for the snow white boy and his identical sister Fluffy, however the people who had taken him when he was a kitten decided he was too rambunctious at nine months so they gave him back. I fell in love with his blue eyes the moment I saw him and we took him home immediately.

"We adopted nine month old Max [not pictured] from the Toronto Cat Rescue as a companion for Casper. They were such immediate and inseparable friends it was simply tragic when he died [of FIP]... After Max, I did not want to get another cat but Casper was so upset and lonely, and Robert convinced me a new buddy for him was essential…enter Benjamin, five months old from Toronto Animal Services. I was firmly against adopting a youngster, since the disease that killed Max usually hits kittens less than one year or older cats more than ten years. But Ben was insistent that we notice him, working hard at the front of his cage, standing on his hind legs and sticking his paws through the bars trying to grab at us. When we picked him up he purred and did swimmy paws in the air. Who could resist, I certainly couldn’t!

"The last to join our family is a cheeky little ginger snap called Archie, six months old also from TAS. He is the bravest and skinniest kitten I have ever seen. No slinking on his tummy or cowering under a bed for this little guy-- he is so bold it seems somewhat unnatural."

It was with a very heavy heart several weeks ago that Catrina had to say goodbye to beautiful Molly (just shy of Molly's 19th birthday). "When I rescued Molly all those years ago I gave her a safe and loving home, good food and a warm bed, today my heart is broken because she gave me so much more in return!"

But there will soon be another royal subject in Cat's kingdom; one from a very distant land who is also in need of a safe and loving home, good food and a warm bed...read all about his story in Catrina's delightful blog: Cat's Cats: BIG NEWS

Thanks for visiting!

Studio News and a Giveaway

Brand new in my Etsy Shop:

Four new catnip toys have joined the line-up!

Delight your little darling with these deliciously colorful hand-crafted catnip toys that looks like a ravioli and spaghetti all rolled into one. Chock-full of high-quality catnip, they are made of durable 100% cotton canvas twill and feature yarn "spaghetti noodles" at each corner for extra enticement. The toy measures 4.5 x 5 inches (not counting "spaghetti").To see complete selection of catnip toys click here: Deluxe Catnip Ravioli

Thoroughly tested and whole-heartedly endorsed by my Studio Assistant Buttonwillow

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Select Items Now Available in Wholesale Bulk Lots
These items have been specially Priced for Resale, Fund raising, or Group Gifts-- You choose the assortment!
For details, click on an image below...

Dangle Earrings

Square Glass Pendants

Rectangle Glass Pendants

Catnip Toys

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OCTOBER GIVEAWAY
Do you Have a Favorite Cat-Themed Boutique or Pet Lover Gift Shop?

If so, I'd love to know about it! As my business expands, I'm looking for several high-quality brick and mortar retail outlets. Do you know of a cute shop that might be interested in carrying any of the items pictured above? If so, let me know in the comments section of this post or on my facebook page, or send me an email. Please let me know the name and location of the shop; also if possible, I'd also like to know the name of the owner or buyer, plus their website, if they have one.

As a thank you, your name will be entered into a drawing for this month's giveaway: a $25 gift certificate to my online Etsy shop. Giveaway ends on Friday, October 29 at 8 p.m. PST when one name will be drawn at random.

Thanks for participating!

Help Me Celebrate My Birthday!

It's true. I have completed 55 orbits around the Sun on this crazy space ship we call Mother Earth!!

And with each passing orbit, it has become increasingly clear to me how important it is to take care of our Mother Ship and our fellow Earthings, like Buttonwillow (although I have my suspicions that she's actually from a different galaxy altogether...)

With that in mind, I have created the Susan Faye Double Nickel Birthday Fund for Mother Nature to benefit the Nature Conservancy.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting photos or artwork of "55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth" on my other blog Susan Faye's Picture Show. If you find any of my 55 reasons compelling, please consider making a small donation if you can: 55 cents, $1.55, 5.50, or $55.00 (you get the drift...).

Your donation will support the many programs of the Nature Conservancy, an efficient and effective organization that has been working around the world for 60 years to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. My goal is to raise $550 to help with their important work.

Here is my
Reason No. 1 to Take Care of Mother Earth:

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

~~~Rabbits with See-Through Ears~~~


If you would like to donate, please click here: Double Nickel Fund
To find out what the Nature Conservancy is doing for some-bunny special, click here: Pygmy Rabbits

Thanks for visiting!

The Only Way to Fly

Illustration Friday

(theme:"transportation")

With all of the hoopla about Crazy Cat Ladies, mancats Beep and Roscoe want equal time for Fearsome Feline Fellas like their own who know that the only truly respectable form of transportation is a Harley.

Unless, of course, it's a bi-plane...

Thanks for visiting!

I'm pleased to announce that I now have options for Custom Pet Portraits in my Etsy shop. In addition to cats, I love to paint dogs, bunnies, hamsters, horses, birds, or reptiles. There is a "basic" option in both aceo mini size and in a 4.5 x 6.5" size (that comes in an 11 x 14" matting). These feature a simple background with your choice of one flower, leaves, and/or a collar.

I'm also offering a DELUXE portrait where you may let your imagination run wild with the background, accessories, and the theme. No idea is too crazy, so send me your ideas and I'll let you know if I think I can handle it. Like the pet people portraits, the turnaround time is usually 3-4 weeks and the cut-off date for holiday orders will be November 15, in order for items to arrive in time for Christmas...

What's Blooming at World Headquarters on 10-10-10

Meet Joe, my "Every-day-is-a-holiday" cactus. Unlike his cousins, the Christmas cactus and the Easter cactus, who strive to bloom only on those specific occasions, Joe believes that every day is a great day to bloom. Take today for example. Today he is blooming because it is the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of this century.

Today I'd like to celebrate my sun room. That's where Joe resides at the south side of my little 1940s cottage, also fondly known as Susan Faye World Headquarters. A few weeks ago my son visited and helped me paint the sun room. Lately I am in love with this Caribbean blue color and chose it for the back wall. I find this color extremely exciting and remarkably calming all at the same time. How is that possible?

My studio assistant Buttonwillow likes to think of this as the Break Room and thinks vending machines would be a nice addition. Here she is mid-break after a grueling morning of supervising art and testing gravity which are her two most important responsibilities:

Today she is celebrating her remarkable good fortune to have been born a cat with impossibly beautiful whiskers.

What will you celebrate today?

A Black Cat By Any Other Name...

If your cat goes by the name of Cinders, Inky, Shadow, Silhouette, Licorice, or Spooky, chances are you are the devoted caretaker of a black cat.

Contrary to popular folk lore, I've never met a black cat who wasn't a sweetie pie. I suppose there are exceptions out there...

Black cats are popping up everywhere this time of year, and a few new ones have popped up in my online Etsy shop in the form of matted prints, glass earrings, and pendants. Click on an image to find out more about that particular item.






















What is your favorite name for a black cat? Let us know in the Comments section at the end of the post... Thanks for visiting!



You'll also find original mini watercolor paintings featuring black cats and their bewitching friends in my Etsy Shop...

Cat Ladies and Lads In The News

Laff it up with Pride and Joy: The Itteh Bitteh Book of Kittehs by the I Can Has Cheezburger LOLcat folks makes its debut in bookstores tomorrow and features none other than one of Crazy Cat Lady Carm's photos of Maine Coon Cat Joy and her baby Pride (he's all grown up now)!! The 7GR8Cats have received an advance copy, and you can read their book review here: Coming to A Bookstore Near You

Feline Fella Paul recently became Lead Scientist for Planetary Small Bodies at NASA Johnson. I'm not sure, but do cats count as "planetary small bodies"? If so, Paul and Cat Lady Amy have quite a few little orbiters as you can see by their portrait...Congratulations, Paul!


CBS Sunday Morning recently interviewed and filmed Cat Lady Kate of Moderncat for an upcoming segment on their show! Kate will let us know the airdate as soon as she knows...Here are some glimpses behind the scenes: Sneak Peek

Cat Lady Deb is giving a talk today at Paddy's Pacelli High School about St Francis of Assisi, because today is the day that Catholics and animal lovers celebrate the feast of St. Francis. Thousands around the world will have their pets blessed today in the spirit of this patron saint of animals. His beautiful prayer speaks to all of us, no matter what our denomination or belief system and it is one of my favorites:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

How Do You Say "Cat Lady" in French?

How DO you say "Cat Lady" in French? Someone who might know is Fabienne, the feline fanatic and creator of Si Chat Me Chante, ["If My Cat Sang"] a delightful blog filled with art, photography, and literature with a common theme: Chats!


You don't have to speak French to enjoy the blog, but just in case, you might want to make use of the Google Translator. According to them, "Cat Lady" is "Dame Chat" in French.

Thank you Cat Lady Fabienne for featuring my artwork in today's post!

World Vegetarian Day:: Some Food For Thought

World Vegetarian Day was founded by The North American Vegetarian Society in 1977, hoping to raise awareness of the benefits of a meat-free diet.

Not ready to give up meat, you say? How about trying it just one day a week to start out? Here are some benefits of eating less meat:

• Reducing the risk of major killers such as heart disease, strokes and cancers while cutting exposure to foodborne pathogens;
• Providing a viable answer to feeding the world’s hungry through more efficient use of grains and other crops;
• Saving animals from suffering in factory-farm conditions and from the pain and terror of slaughter;
• Conserving vital but limited freshwater, fertile topsoil and other precious resources;
• Preserving irreplaceable ecosystems such as rainforests and other wildlife habitats that are being converted to livestock ranching;
• Decreasing greenhouse gases that are accelerating global warming;

For great tips and recipes to get you started, visit these links:
VegNews
Vegetarian Times

Garden Girl and Tabby is my newest glass pendant design, now available in my online Etsy Shop !

I'm also having a Clearance Sale. Check out all of my discounted items at this link: SALE SALE SALE!